We have become so apathetic as a country where we allow our governments to make unpopular decisions and just sit on our hands by allowing them to not keep their promises to the electorate. It is even more upsetting that some of us do not want to exercise our right to vote since we think our say won’t be taken seriously in all levels of government.

As a former Windsorite, I am absolutely disgusted by the behaviour of Windsor city hall over the way the government has handled various issues surrounding the city.

For example, I was really angry when city council decided to fire auditor general Todd Langlois for wanting to do his job in auditing the books of Enwin.

By not going to vote, we are giving our government more power to continue to make decisions without consulting the electorate.

I just wanted to say please, get out to vote on election day since there are absolutely zero excuses for not voting in this election. This is the only opportunity we have until another four years from Oct. 27.

ALIM NATHOO, Kitchener, Ont.

]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/open-newsroom/letters/vote-to-bring-change/feed0Composite image of former city of Windsor auditor general Todd Langlois (L) and Mayor Eddie Francis.(Tyler Brownbridge/The Windsor Star)starsoapboxThe Star’s View: An auditor general makes sense in this age of informationhttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/opinion/the-stars-view-an-auditor-general-makes-sense-in-this-age-of-information
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/opinion/the-stars-view-an-auditor-general-makes-sense-in-this-age-of-information#commentsWed, 15 Oct 2014 23:36:45 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=393312]]>Candidates in this municipal election have made hiring an auditor general a hot-button issue on the campaign trail, with mayoral hopefuls Larry Horwitz and John Millson saying they’d fill the position while incumbent Drew Dilkens says — erroneously — that it already exists.

Those who thought it was yesterday’s news underestimated the attention challengers would garner regarding the controversial hiring and firing of Windsor’s first auditor general, not to mention the years of debate over whether the new position should be created in the first place.

Memories have grown foggy when it comes to the details, but here’s the synopsis: Council agreed in 2008 that it needed to hire an auditor general. Then it did nothing to fill the position for 18 months.

The successful candidate finally chosen backed out because of personal reasons, which brought us to Todd Langlois, who was hired to fill the position but left after nine months, with a gag order on the table and a $2.4 million lawsuit in the works.

The suit was later settled out of court, but the next logical step — replacing Langlois with a new auditor general — never happened. Instead, council voted in 2012 to adopt the “London model” and outsource the internal auditing job to PricewaterhouseCoopers.

That seemed like a sensible and cost-effective decision after all the time, effort and money council had spent on this one position. But things have changed since then.

It starts with a lingering perception created by Langlois’s firing. Councillors were committed to this position — until they had a personnel issue with him. What changed? Did they get cold feet and fear that hiring someone else would affect the wrongful dismissal suit?

That’s not a reason that sits well with taxpayers, many of whom wonder if the city is truly accountable, efficient and saving the maximum amount of money wherever it can. If there’s nothing to fear, hiring an auditor general (and doing it in a timely fashion) is a small price to pay to finally end the perception there’s something wrong at city hall.

Second, access to information in the digital age has fuelled the public’s desire for openness and transparency at all levels of government. No amount of assurances that all is well will overcome the feeling some have that all is not. In this day and age, it’s not good enough for politicians and administration to say “trust us to do the right thing.”

Taxpayers want to see a process that truly represents their interests and is less encumbered by political agenda. They want someone who can perform value for money and forensic audits and has the ability to subpoena people.

The next council and mayor should vote to hire an auditor general when the contract with PwC ends in 2015.

Find Windsor Star on Facebook]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/opinion/the-stars-view-an-auditor-general-makes-sense-in-this-age-of-information/feed0City CouncilwinstareditorialsHorwitz: I’ll have Enwin audited again and bring back Auditor General to city hallhttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/horwitz-ill-have-enwin-audited-again-and-bring-back-auditor-general-to-windsor-city-hall
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/horwitz-ill-have-enwin-audited-again-and-bring-back-auditor-general-to-windsor-city-hall#commentsThu, 04 Sep 2014 01:02:02 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=379887]]>A more in-depth audit of Enwin Utilities and re-establishment of Windsor’s eliminated Auditor General position are some of the promises Windsor mayoral candidate Larry Horwitz is making to bring greater transparency and accountability to city hall.

“That’s what the taxpayers want,” said Horwitz on Wednesday. “I’ve spoken to thousands (of people) already. They want to make sure the resources of Enwin are used efficiently. They want us to really look it over.”

The sign at Enwin’s Ouellette Avenue office building is seen in this February 2013 file photo. (Nick Brancaccio / The Windsor Star)

In a press release, Horwitz pledged that if he is elected mayor this fall, he will launch an “independent, value-for-money” audit of all Windsor utilities — including the city’s electricity distributor.

“It’s one of the biggest issues I’m seeing on the campaign trail,” Horwitz explained in a phone interview.

Horwtiz also said that, as mayor, he’ll reduce the Enwin part of utility bills by 10 per cent — and he’ll waive all his personal compensation for working on Enwin boards until the 10 per cent reduction is achieved.

“There are boards of directors of Enwin,” Horwitz said. “(Sitting) on those boards, the mayor gets a total of $60,000 a year as remuneration.”

“What I pledge to do is not take that $60,000 for the first two years. And if I haven’t figured out a way … of lowering the cost of Enwin, then I will continue — for the balance of my term — to not take the $60,000.”

Later in 2012, council decided to cancel the in-house Auditor General position and instead retain professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to fill financial watchdog functions — including an audit of Enwin.

“That audit (of Enwin) has already occurred,” Dilkens said on Wednesday, noting that the city budgeted more than $500,000 to retain PwC through 2013.

“It’s an independent accounting firm … Do we audit companies to death, and spend a half a million dollars every time we do it?”

As for Horwitz’s goal of a 10 per cent reduction in Enwin’s portion of Windsor utility bills, Dilkens said there is a regulatory process involving provincial bodies behind those fees, and neither Enwin nor the mayor have the “unilateral authority” to make such a drastic change.

“In terms of salary (from sitting on Enwin boards), that’s presumptuous. He’s assuming he’d be the one appointed by council to those boards. The mayor is not the de facto appointment to any board, except the police services board.”

Asked what he’d do to improve transparency at city hall, Dilkens said his full platform will be released “in short order.”

“I can only speak for myself,” said Dilkens, who has been Ward 1 councillor since 2006. “The ultimate accountability comes at election time. I’m certainly willing to stand up on my record to the residents of the city of Windsor.”

Find Windsor Star on Facebook]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/horwitz-ill-have-enwin-audited-again-and-bring-back-auditor-general-to-windsor-city-hall/feed0Windsor mayoral candidate Larry Horwitz at his campaign launch on July 16, 2014. (Dan Janisse / The Windsor Star)winstarchenThe sign at Enwin's Ouellette Avenue office building is seen in this February 2013 file photo. (Nick Brancaccio / The Windsor Star)Todd Langlois, Windsor's former Auditor General, shortly after his firing in 2012. (Tyler Brownbridge / The Windsor Star)Windsor mayoral candidate Drew Dilkens in a July 2013 file photo. (Tyler Brownbridge / The Windsor Star)Mayor Eddie Francis in July 2014. (Tyler Brownbridge / The Windsor Star)Lawsuit Stench Remainshttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/opinion/lawsuit-stench-remains
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/opinion/lawsuit-stench-remains#commentsFri, 05 Apr 2013 22:02:31 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=170250]]>Former City of Windsor auditor Todd Langlois’s $2.4 million wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the city has been withdrawn, but it’s not completely gone.

The stink of the accusations made in the case will hang over City Hall for some time to come, probably well into the next election.

That is not justice, and it is not fair to taxpayers. They deserve to know one way or another who was right and who was wrong in a case that alleged a “toxic” workplace at City Hall manipulated by a controlling mayor, a secretive council and a vengeful administration.

I think the 10 members of city council were right to fire the former auditor. And they were right to settle it out of court as cheaply as they could rather than salvage their pride at public expense in an extended lawsuit.

That’s what taxpayers would have had to pay for had council not settled and not agreed to a confidentiality clause in the deal, Mayor Eddie Francis said Friday.

“Not to agree to it would have meant thousands and thousands and thousands in extra legal fees,” Mayor Francis said of the confidentiality clause, “and another year or two in court.”

“But the city is prepared to waive any clause if the other side allows it,” the mayor told the media Friday at Essex County’s annual Warden’s Luncheon. That’s a helpful hint.

There are other clues as to who “won” the case: the mayor is mostly all smiles about the settlement, and most councillors seem to be dying to talk about it; Langlois won’t talk and his lawyer is shut up tighter than a liquor store on Christmas morning.

The size of the settlement is important not only for its financial effect on city finances but for public confidence and trust in council, which was implicated for unethical behaviour.

If Langlois did not receive a substantial settlement or, as I believe, not much more than the six month’s severance stipulated in his employment contract for being discharged, you might logically assume that his accusations were false, or at least so far from being provable as to be steeply discounted.

None of the clues point to Langlois hitting a jackpot at the expense of taxpayers.

None of the city councillors I talked to about the case this week would even hint at the size of the settlement because Langlois’ lawyer, James Cooke, has vowed to sue them again if they do. That would cost taxpayers serious money, they say.

I’m told opinion was split in a closed-door council meeting last month when council voted to approve the settlement. (The Municipal Act required the in-camera meeting, by the way).

Some vowed that the city should spend whatever it took to disprove Langlois’ allegations and clear their good names. Others argued that cutting a deal with him was purely a business decision, not to be taken personally.

The councillors I’ve asked about the case all used the same word to describe it: “frustrating.” They all wish they could show their voters how they protected the public’s financial interests.

Unfortunately, a ridiculous aspect of civil law effectively gags them: the confidentiality clause.

But there are many clues that point to a modest settlement for Langlois. For instance, mediation was over quickly, something that could indicate a lopsided advantage for one side.

Another: asked if the settlement will put Langlois on any future Sunshine List of City Hall employees earning more than $100,000, officials all tell you they “can’t say.” But the question makes them smile.

I asked various officials if the Langlois settlement will affect taxes, or the city’s legal budget, or its auditing budget, or show up in any way as a major cost in budget lines in years to come. No, no, no, no and no were the answers.

Big clue: Angela Berry, one of several employees in the city’s disbanded audit department who took leaves during the Langlois whirlwind, has returned to work.

Berry has dropped her Bill 168 workplace harassment case against the city, Francis said Friday. An independent investigator was hired to investigate her claims, a report was filed with Berry’s lawyer and the city’s legal department. “The other side has decided not to pursue anything.”

Langlois was hired to supervise the outsourcing of a slow and expensive internal auditing process that had been costing the City of Windsor millions of dollars.

Instead, council believed Langlois had embarked on a plan to create a new internal auditing empire within City Hall with himself as its head. Fed up with what they deemed to be open defiance, councillors decided to dump him.

One year later I believe that city council – and therefore Windsor taxpayers – has won the Langlois lawsuit hands down.

That would mean the conspiracy theorists owe 10 members of city council and some senior Windsor administrators a big apology for the things that were said about them last year.

Instead, you probably won’t see a hint of shame or hear a single word of contrition from those parties.

That’s why gagging the participants of lawsuits like this one involving the public does a terrible disservice both to the truth and to citizens.

]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/opinion/lawsuit-stench-remains/feed0Composite image of former city of Windsor auditor general Todd Langlois (L) and Mayor Eddie Francis.(Tyler Brownbridge/The Windsor Star)winstarvanderdoelenCity of Windsor, former auditor reach secret settlementhttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/langlois-lawsuit-resolved
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/langlois-lawsuit-resolved#commentsThu, 04 Apr 2013 22:02:55 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=169316]]>A $2.4-million wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the City of Windsor by its former auditor has been settled in mediation, but the terms and the cost to taxpayers are to remain secret as part of the deal.

The early settlement was reached in late March before the case was scheduled to go to Ontario Superior Court. Former city auditor Todd Langlois sued last April 13 after being fired in January 2012.

The mediated deal prevented legal costs for the case from spiralling higher, although even that aspect of the resolution is secret due to what city lawyer Michael Wills calls “a strict confidentiality agreement” signed by both sides.

Wills, of McTague Law Firm, described the confidentiality clause as “fairly standard” for a wrongful dismissal suit springing from a personnel issue.

“It wasn’t something the city was pushing for. It was really wanted by the other side,” Wills said of Langlois and his lawyer, James Cooke.

The deal, which also keeps the fees of Cooke and Wills secret, absolves either side from proving or disproving months of allegations Langlois and Cooke made in the media about claimed coverups and audit interference by senior city officials, including Mayor Eddie Francis and most members of city council.

Cooke declined to comment on the settlement Thursday, saying “I can’t talk about it. I won’t be discussing it at all.” Neither will his client, who he said still lives in the Amherstburg area.

Langlois claimed that both elected officials and non-elected city administrators conspired to prevent him from auditing Enwin Utilities Companies. The city says he was hired to audit City of Windsor accounts only, not those of separate corporations already audited by provincial authorities.

Ironically, council this year caved to public demands for another audit of Enwin when they approved an outside review of the company’s finances. A preliminary report is expected to be put before council this month.

Francis, who bore the brunt of Langlois’ allegations about a “toxic” workplace at city hall and blocked audits, says he’d like nothing better than to discuss the terms of the settlement so he can reassure taxpayers about its impact on the city budget.

“But I’ve been told by our lawyers that if I talk I could cost taxpayers money and I could be sued personally. So I’m not allowed to talk – and that’s a very difficult thing for me to do,” Francis said, laughing.

“The city wasn’t hell bent to keep this confidential,” Wills said of the settlement. “He can discuss it if he wants,” he said of Langlois’ severance package. “We’re not going to kick up a fuss” if either he or Cooke choose to discuss the size of the settlement in public, Wills said.

Langlois, who was paid approximately $140,000 per year, signed a five-year employment contract with the city in 2010 that stipulated he would receive six months’ pay, or roughly $70,000, in the event council no longer required his services.

Council voted 10-1 to fire Langlois for non-performance, creating turmoil in the workplace and defying their direct orders to outsource all auditing functions. They offered him the severance agreed to in their contract.

Langlois sued for $2.4 million, which included $140,000 per year for the nearly four years left in the contract, plus opportunity costs, lost benefits and punitive and aggravated damages.

Attempts to track down Langlois by phone were not successful. Langlois’ name did not appear on the sunshine list of public employees in Ontario who earned more than $100,000 last year, but Wills said he wouldn’t have been on the list because his employ ended so early in the year.

Wills agreed when asked if taxpayers would have to wait until the 2014 sunshine list to find out if Langlois’ settlement was more than $100,000. If he won his claim for lost wages, he will appear on the list next year.

But the former auditor’s name won’t appear on the 2014 sunshine list if he accepted the city’s original offer of six months pay – or if the settlement was less than six figures.

Bill’s a civil and diplomatic politician who tends to keep his emotions in cool check — you won’t find this fellow Swiss national slamming a fist on the desk or angrily spouting colorful language during the heat of debate, but this photo speaks volumes.

Based on the direction of Bill’s glare, I can almost guess he’s got Ward 9 Coun. Hilary Payne in his sights, and I bet I know exactly the moment.

It was during the tense round of discussion on Bill’s motion (seconded by Ward 7’s Percy Hatfield) calling on the city to hire an auditor general rather than have council approve administration’s recommendation to outsource the entire auditing function to a private firm. Bill and seven delegations who spoke out last night argued an in-house AG operating at arm’s length from the city hall bureaucracy would mean more power, independence and flexibility for a bean-counting watchdog whose role is to ferret out waste and help find taxpayer dollar-saving efficiencies.

Bill had just — politely and without naming his target — given Ward 1 Coun. Drew Dilkens a searing dressing-down after Drew suggested the auditor general model council had approved just a year earlier had been tried but failed.

“It’s been said we’ve tried this model before — we have not,” said Bill. Council never got a chance to see Todd Langlois’s proposed work plan before the city’s first AG was fired in January.

It was one thing for councillors to vote against his motion, but Bill said he wanted his colleagues to be very clear on that point and not use it as their reason for rejection.

What, then, were the very next words spoken at the council table?

“We’ve had experience with an in-house auditor general … it has not worked,” said Hilary.

Huh?

Bill might have only glared across the room at that point, but the rows of council critics seated in the public gallery behind me, after an initial stunned silence, broke out in befuddled and angry whispering. ‘Didn’t he just hear what Bill said?’ etc. etc.

“Audit whatever you want,” Eddie offered his colleagues when Percy asked whether such entities as Enwin Utilities could face the scrutiny of the new and watered-down auditing model council approved.

While Eddie spoke of the “conspiracy theorists” who will complain about council’s decision, Bill the consummate diplomat told me after his AG motion’s defeat that he’ll be trying his best to help make sure the new auditing function works in the best interests of the city. “This should be expedited,” he said on the need for speed after years of start-up problems.

‘Cos that’s what one does in a democracy — lick your political wounds and move on.

Windsor councillor Bill Marra glares down during the city council meeting Monday, July 9, 2012, in Windsor, Ont. (Windsor Star / DAN JANISSE)

]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/city-hall/audit-whatever-you-want-mayor-to-council/feed0Windsor councillor Bill Marra glares down during the city council meeting Monday, July 9, 2012, in Windsor, Ont. (Windsor Star / DAN JANISSE)winstarschmidtWindsor councillor Bill Marra glares down during the city council meeting Monday, July 9, 2012, in Windsor, Ont. (Windsor Star / DAN JANISSE) A touch of ironyhttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/opinion/a-touch-of-irony
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/opinion/a-touch-of-irony#commentsFri, 27 Apr 2012 19:27:59 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=28182]]>Reading Anne Jarvis’ opinion piece this morning had me thinking of a related issue to Who’s minding the store?

The City of Windsor has a Fraud and Waste Hotline (519-254-9357) that concerned citizens and employees can use to anonymously report suspected fraud, waste or abuse of City resources. You have to wonder why the Library Finance Manager or CEO didn’t feel comfortable using this hotline to anonymously report Councillor Maghnieh’s financial transgressions. The hotline, in addition to being anonymous, is protected by the Provincial Freedom of Information and Privacy Act. The protections afforded by the hotline are to ensure no employee faces reprisals for acting in good faith and reporting problems or abuse that they are aware of.

There’s just one problem.

At the height of Councillor Maghnieh’s spending spree, probably right about the time someone might have called the hotline to complain, the City of Windsor fired, without cause, the independent person responsible for the hotline – Auditor General Todd Langlois.

With one phone call anyone with knowledge of what was going on at the Library could have stopped the credit card abuse in it’s tracks, including CEO Barry Holmes. But with the firing of the Auditor General, where were employees to turn to? CEO Barry Holmes has stated that he felt he could do nothing because Councillor Maghnieh was his boss. That’s exactly what the hotline is for. Employees can report suspected fraud/waste/abuse without fear of reprisal. While the Library’s yearly audit by KPMG ultimately discovered the credit card abuse, it wasn’t until the audit was complete that Councillor Maghnieh’s card was revoked and the practice ended. It needn’t have gone on that long.

If no one is minding the store at the Windsor Public Library, who’s manning the Hotline for everyone in the City of Windsor? We are without an independent set of eyes that employees and citizens alike can trust.

I find it almost ironic that the one person who might have been able to nip this problem in the bud and save Councillor Maghnieh’s political career is the very same person he voted to fire without cause. Councillor Maghnieh had an opportunity to meet with the Library Board to explain his actions, prior to his resignation. He has met with the all of the various media outlets in the city to explain his actions, apologize and ask his constituents to give him another chance to prove himself. None of these opportunities were offered to Auditor General Todd Langlois prior to his firing without cause by Windsor City Council.

]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/opinion/a-touch-of-irony/feed0bbs01Fired AG Langlois fires another salvo at cityhttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/fired-ag-langlois-fires-back-again-at-city
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/fired-ag-langlois-fires-back-again-at-city#commentsFri, 13 Apr 2012 19:59:16 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=26256]]>Not once did Mayor Eddie Francis, any city councillor, or any administrator say anything about the quality of work performed by former auditor general Todd Langlois prior to his firing, according to new court papers filed Friday.

“Suddenly, it’s a major issue,” said Jim Cooke, Langlois’s lawyer. “It’s all been fabricated post-termination.”

Langlois is suing the City of Windsor for $2.4 million, alleging wrongful dismissal.

On Friday, Cooke filed a response in Ontario Superior Court to the city’s 20-page statement of defence in the case.

The city’s defence claimed the reason for Langlois’s firing was that he couldn’t get along with co-workers and acted unprofessionally.

“Todd remains very concerned they are damaging his reputation,” Cooke said on Friday. “If he was so bad, why didn’t anybody say anything to him prior to his termination?”

The six-page reply document by Cooke notes: “The allegations with respect to the plaintiff’s pre-termination conduct are of recent fabrication intended only to justify the plaintiff’s unlawful termination.”

Langlois was fired by the city on Jan. 31, less than two weeks after he presented the mayor with a three-year work plan — which included audits of Enwin, the Windsor Utilities Commission, the newly built WFCU Centre, the planned $78.1-million downtown aquatic centre, the airport, the tunnel, and virtually every major department at City Hall.

Langlois’s lawsuit against the city says that throughout his nine months on the job, he was stymied from carrying out his municipal watchdog duties by Francis, CAO Helga Reidel, and audit committee chairman Max Zalev.

The city’s defence — filed by local lawyer George King — criticized Langlois’s work plan as not following professional standards.

But Cooke disagrees.

According to Cooke’s court reply, Langlois “carefully and completely adhered” to standards under the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing in his preparation of the plan.

King said on Friday that the latest paperwork filed on behalf of Langlois does not change the city’s position on the lawsuit.

“The gentleman (Langlois) signed an agreement that allowed the city to terminate and pay him for six months,” King said. “The city offered him that, and he refused.

“Nothing (in the reply document) changes our case.”

The next steps in the lawsuit involve filing of affidavits, expected to be completed by next month, Cooke said.

Cooke also expects to soon meet with King to discuss either process around the case or finding a resolution.

“There has been no unwillingness on anybody’s part to get together and talk about things,” Cooke said.

Cooke added that the controversy surrounding his client’s firing by the city continues to pose difficulties in his client’s search for new work.

“He (Langlois) has had some contact with employers and they mentioned the dispute with the city,” Cooke said.

“Todd is still upset about how he was treated and the way this came down. But he is holding up well and optimistic we can find a resolution in a reasonable amount of time.”

Fired auditor general Todd Langlois (right) holds a press conference with his lawyer Jim Cooke announcing a lawsuit against the City of Windsor for wrongful dismissal. Photographed Feb. 3, 2012. (Tyler Brownbridge / The Windsor Star)

Fired auditor general Todd Langlois is seen at a press conference announcing his lawsuit against the City of Windsor for wrongful dismissal in this Feb. 2012 file photo. (Tyler Brownbridge / The Windsor Star)

]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/fired-ag-langlois-fires-back-again-at-city/feed0Todd Langlois, formerly the city's auditor general, is seen at a Feb. 3, 2012 press conference announcing his lawsuit against the city for wrongful dismissal. (Tyler Brownbridge / The Windsor Star)dbattagelloFired auditor general Todd Langlois (right) holds a press conference with his lawyer Jim Cooke announcing a lawsuit against the City of Windsor for wrongful dismissal. Photographed Feb. 3, 2012. (Tyler Brownbridge / The Windsor Star)Fired auditor general Todd Langlois is seen at a press conference announcing his lawsuit against the City of Windsor for wrongful dismissal in this Feb. 2012 file photo. (Tyler Brownbridge / The Windsor Star)Mayor Eddie Francis is seen in this Feb. 2012 file photo. (Tyler Brownbridge / The Windsor Star)Fired auditor general caused friction, says cityhttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/fired-auditor-general-caused-friction-says-city
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/fired-auditor-general-caused-friction-says-city#commentsFri, 30 Mar 2012 20:50:08 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=24573]]>Former city auditor general Todd Langlois, who has launched a $2.4-million wrongful dismissal suit against the city, couldn’t get along with co-workers and acted unprofessionally, according to a newly filed statement of defence.

The statement of defence, filed by the City of Windsor in Superior Court Friday — the last day possible in response to Langlois’s lawsuit — paints the auditor general as someone who mistakenly thought he had complete autonomy on virtually anything he wanted to do.

“Rather than assisting the Council in holding itself accountable, he acted as if he personally was to hold Council accountable to himself, as the watchdog of the taxpayer,” the statement reads. “This persistent misunderstanding of his role led to considerable friction with almost everyone he came into contact with on Council and within the administration.

“The Plaintiff also treated advice and assistance from senior municipal officers including the Chief Administrative Officer and the City Clerk as interference in a right of independence unsupported by the Municipal Act, 2001.”

The city’s 20-page defence quotes the Ontario Municipal Act: “The Auditor General may exercise the powers and shall perform the duties as may be assigned to him or her by the municipality.”

The city said Langlois brought the media spotlight on himself by holding a press conference to criticize the city, claiming that administration was blocking him from auditing various city departments and corporations, such as Enwin.

“The Plaintiff engaged in conduct unbecoming of a professional Auditor General in disclosing confidential emails and draft documents which had not been forwarded to Council for consideration and approval,” the statement of defence reads.

The defence also argues that Langlois did not, as required, outsource work in the office, which had an annual budget of $580,000. As well, the statement claims that Langlois did not provide a proper work plan.

Furthermore, the statement argues that according to the employment contract on termination, the city only owes Langlois $70,178 — or six months’ pay — minus court costs from the lawsuit.

“The statement of defence clearly speaks for itself,” Mayor Eddie Francis said. “I’ve said from the beginning, this is all an attempt to get more money out of the city. The city refuses to do that. We are standing our ground and look forward to arguing our case in front of the court.”

Langlois’s lawyer Jim Cooke said Friday evening that he and his client might now take further action against the city as a result of the statement of defence.

“The city administration is engaged in the same type of character assassination and deliberate misinformation that it engages in when anybody opposes or disagrees with the mayor,” Cooke said. “And we will be filing a reply which will correct what I suspect are numerous factual errors in the defence.

“And both my client and I will be considering whether we should ask the minister of municipal affairs to investigate the conduct of senior administration at city hall with respect to my client and with respect to several other employees who have been dismissed in this fashion.”

The city says it first made an offer of employment to Langlois Jan. 5, 2011, but that he didn’t start work until April 19, 2011. By the end of January this year, city administration felt that Langlois wasn’t working out. On Feb. 1, Langlois held a press conference to voice his concerns about city officials allegedly withholding information that should be made public.

Langlois is the second employee in a row to prematurely stop working as the city’s top auditor. Angela Berry, the city’s lead internal auditor and predecessor of Langlois, went on sick leave for months based on allegations of harassment and a toxic workplace.

]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/news/fired-auditor-general-caused-friction-says-city/feed0winstarpearsonMayor Eddie’s Friday the 13thhttp://blogs.windsorstar.com/opinion/mayor-eddies-friday-the-13th
http://blogs.windsorstar.com/opinion/mayor-eddies-friday-the-13th#commentsMon, 19 Mar 2012 20:29:27 +0000http://blogs.windsorstar.com/?p=22675]]>When stock markets crash, they tend to do so on Fridays. And 13 has long been the unluckiest number, to the superstitious.

According to the gloomy researchers at the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina, up to 21 million Americans fear Friday the 13th something fierce.

Close to a billion dollars in business is lost on Friday the 13th (but I suspect that figure has less to do with paranoia and a little more to do with workers bugging out early to turn a regular weekend into a long weekend).

And though I’m talking about the real world here, not the horror movie series, Friday the 13th is indeed a time of paranoia, suspicion, and loathing.

The perfect day, in other words, for our beloved civic leader to tell us how we and Windsor are doing.

Mayor Eddie Francis will give his annual State of the City address on Friday, April 13, at the Caboto Club.

The event goes from noon until 2 p.m.

Tickets are $35, with proceeds going to Leadership Windsor/Essex, an organization established to help incubate and breed future community leaders.

Interestingly, two of the event’s sponsors — Porter Airlines and CS Wind Canada — were lured here in part through the hard-driving efforts of our globe-trotting mayor.

Eddie’s cup is usually half-full, and his speech will no doubt touch on yet another year of no tax hikes — a politically impressive feat.

But the economic news has been grim of late for the Rose City. Most recently with Ontario’s finance minister — and Windsor homeboy — Dwight Duncan announcing last week that Windsor Raceway will be shedding hundreds of slots jobs, and that the local horsing sector will also be paying a steep price.

it’s been no less trying for Windsor on the political front, with difficult questions being raised over the curious firing of short-term municipal auditor general Todd Langlois.

We also recently saw the departure of our Chief of Police amid turmoil in the Windsor Police Service.

True, when Eddie has his game on, he’s no slouch at the podium and can deliver passionate and inspiring speeches. The audience of these state-o-the-city affairs tend to draw generously from the local who’s-who set. Eddie usually gets those movers and shakers on their feet and clapping.

Our mayor also has a way of sometimes doing the bold or unexpected, so I suspect a bit of impishness behind the choice of Friday the 13th as the date for his latest sermon to the masses.

The guy definitely doesn’t suffer from friggatriskaidephobia.

Besides — for some folks, April 13th is a glorious day. It’s Vaisakhi, when the Hindus celebrate the start of their New Year, and Sikhs celebrate an ancient harvest festival.

Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis is seen delivering his State of the City address in March 2008. (Scott Webster / The Windsor Star)

]]>http://blogs.windsorstar.com/opinion/mayor-eddies-friday-the-13th/feed0Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis is seen delivering his State of the City address in March 2008.winstarschmidtWindsor Mayor Eddie Francis is seen delivering his State of the City address in March 2008.